"NO ONE IS MY ENEMY"

No one is my enemy, and no one is a stranger to me. I get along with everyone
(sggs 1299).
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In addition to ethics and morality, the Gurbani teaches us spiritual unity of mankind. It teaches us real Love, friendship, universal brotherhood, and Oneness. It time and again points to the common bonds that exist among all of us. On account of the curtain of false ego-sense or Haume (the sense of "I-ness", etc.), this reality of Oneness remains hidden from us. So the Gurbani repeatedly urges us to remove the veil of Haume. The Gurbani on universal brotherhood, spiritual unity of mankind, and frienship:

These
words of the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth sahib, SGGS) are not meant in-one-ear-and-out-the-other.
Hearing (also including reading) is attentive listening to the Truth expounded
in the divine words, then contemplating the idea contained in them, and lastly
living them. However, to absorb the great ideas contained in the divine words,
to assimilate them and put those values in practice is the problem of the majority
of us. Consequently, owing to the consciousness of duality (relativist consciousness
or Doojaa Bhaav), we consider some as our friends so long they are able
to gratify our selfishness, and others our enemies and bomb them.

The Gurbani
declares that the man's real enemies are within his own body, not outside. These
are the faults of his own false ego-sense (Haume) — lust, anger, greed,
attachment, pride with their numerous variations such as enviousness, stubborn
mindedness, selfishness, untruthfulness, unrighteousness, corruption, slander,
arrogance and so on. These are the man's real enemies born of his passionate nature
of the Haume ("I-ness" or false ego-sense), all devouring, tormenting
and evil.

ਬਦਫੈਲੀ ਗੈਬਾਨਾ ਖਸਮੁ ਨ ਜਾਣਈ ॥ ...: Badfailee gaibaanaa kkhasam na jaanaee...: The foolish demon,
who does evil deeds, does not know God. Call him a mad-man, if he does not understand
the Self. The strife of this world is evil; these struggles are consuming it.
Without the Lord’s Name, life is worthless. Through doubt, the people are being
destroyed (sggs 142).

ਵੈਰੁ ਕਰੇ ਨਿਰਵੈਰ ਨਾਲਿ ਝੂਠੇ ਲਾਲਚਾ ॥: Vai kare nirvair naal jhoothe laalachaa ||: He tries to take vengeance upon who
bears no vengeance; such a person is rapped by falsehood and greed (sggs 1099).

Not
only on the personal level, even some organized religions consider other religions
their enemies! Because these religions do not want to recognize their own shortcomings,
ills, errors etc. Instead, they find it easy and convenient to blame others for
their own problems. Religion is supposed to be the key meant to open our minds
and hearts that are locked shut by our chaotic outlook created by our false ego
or Haume ("I-ness" or false ego-sense).

Unless we know our
real enemies (their location, weaknesses etc.), how can we hope to destroy them?
Hence, the Gurbani advises all mankind to recognize one's real enemies within,
and then destroy them. Unfortunately, however, this is the man's exact problem.
— he does not recognize his real enemies. As a result, he barks at the wrong tree
per se. The Gurbani gives us pointers as to how we can destroy our real enemies
(inner foes). The Gurbani urges us to become Gurmukhs (true spiritual beings)
and detached, and then shoot the inner enemies using the arrow of the Lord (the
Lord's Name, Shabad etc.).

One may wonder why it's so
important to destroy one's inner enemies in the first place? The inner enemies
are the "pollution" of the Haume-mind ("I-ness" or
false ego-sense), and as the Gurbani tells -with the impure mind, Truth cannot be Realized. In other
words, shooting the Haume (false "I") requires awareness of the
false in our life. There is mutation of polluted consciousness when the Haume
("I-ness" or false ego-sense) ends. It's the true Bhagti
that takes one beyond self-created limitations.

True
Gurmukhs or devotees (Bhagats) do not harbor animosity towards anybody,
because they have conquered their inner enemies. As a result, they recognize the
same One God in all. However, since the majority of us have failed to do so, we
inflict suffering on others taking them as our real enemies. Conflicts are inevitable,
so long the false "I" (Haume) does not dissolve. If we want to
realize God, the Gurbani asks us to annihilate Haume ("I-ness"
or false ego-sense) and "go beyond vengeance". With the false "I"
up and active, all our handling of people in the world is selfish. Annihilation
of the false sense of "I, me, mine, you" constitutes real Love.
The Gurbani here teaches us that real Love, friendship, universal brotherhood, and Oneness.

ਮਨਮੁਖੀਆ ਸਿਰਿ ਮਾਰ ਵਾਦਿ ਖਪਾਈਐ ॥: Manmukheeaa siri maar vaad khapaaeeai: The problem
of the materialistic's head is this: he is consumed by conflict (sggs 420).

ਇਕੁ ਸਜਣੁ ਸਭਿ ਸਜਣਾ ਇਕੁ ਵੈਰੀ ਸਭਿ ਵਾਦਿ ॥: Ik sajan sabh sajanaa ik vairee sabhi
vaadi: When I take One God as Friend, then I look upon all as my friends. But
when I take One God as enemy, then conflicts with all ensue (sgg 957).

ਬੈਰੀ ਮੀਤ ਹੋਏ ਸੰਮਾਨ ॥: Bairee meet hoe sanmaan: Enemy and friend are all the same
to me (sggs 1147).

Thus, unless
we recognize our real enemies and then conquer them, we cannot get along with
everyone. Be kind even to your enemies, teaches the Gurbani. People consumed with
conflict, resentment, hatred etc. are called Manmukhs (materialistic or
unenlightened) in the Gurbani. The Gurbani tells us that the One God is the Support
of the entire Universe. It simply means there is no difference between God and
the creation. But our deluded mind (false ego-sense, Haume, corrupt consciousness
etc.) create the barrier, the cause of apparent differences. When this barrier
is transcended, the notion of differences disappear. In other words, if we are
one with the Pure Consciousness (Gurmukh Lifestyle), there is the sense
of Oneness ("Sabh gobind hai sabh gobind hai"), and we see the
whole Universe as our own Self. Simply put, the Gurbani urges us that the anger
and hatred in our hearts be transformed into repentance, forgiveness, understanding,
love, peace and harmony for all people of the world.